1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a liquid crystal display device. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to a liquid crystal display device with patterned spacers and a method for manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Liquid crystal display (LCD) devices refer to flat display devices employing electro-optical properties of liquid crystal molecules to display images, thereby requiring low power consumption and having low weight. More specifically, the conventional LCD device may include a liquid crystal layer between two substrates, so application of voltage to the LCD may modify polarization of light passing through the liquid crystal layer. Such conventional LCD devices may be classified into a twist nematic LCD (TN-LCD) and a super twist nematic LCD (STN-LCD) with respect to a twist degree of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer between the substrates. For example, the conventional STN-LCD may have a twist angle of about 240 degrees to about 270 degrees, and may be of a passive matrix type, i.e., each pixel may be driven by two electrode terminals, as opposed to being driven independently via a switching transistor and a diode.
The conventional LCD device may be formed by sealing the two substrates with the liquid crystal layer therebetween. Spacers may be placed between the two sealed substrates in order to maintain a cell gap therebetween. The conventional spacers may have a spherical shape, and may be scattered by, e.g., a nozzle jet.
However, scattering of the spherically-shaped spacers may cause non-uniform distribution thereof on the substrate, thereby triggering a non-uniform cell gap in the LCD device, which in turn, may cause light leakage and stain-like appearance phenomenon in one or more areas of the LCD panel. Further, scattering of the spherically-shaped spacers may trigger an overlap between the spacers and pixels of the LCD device, thereby decreasing luminance and overall display quality thereof.